Seraphina's POV
The bucket of icy water hit me square in the face before I even opened my eyes.
I gasped, choking on the shock and cold, my blanket soaked through in seconds. Above me stood Clara, one of the palace maids, holding an empty bucket with a nasty smile.
"Get up, worthless," she sneered. "The floors won't scrub themselves."
I wiped water from my eyes, my heart pounding. This was how most of my mornings started, but today hurt more. Today was my twenty-third birthday. Not that anyone cared.
"I'll be right there," I said quietly, keeping my voice steady even though anger burned in my chest.
Clara kicked my thin mattress. "You'll be there NOW. Or I'll tell the Queen you were being lazy again."
The threat worked. It always did. Last time someone reported me to Mother, I didn't eat for three days.
I stood up in my wet nightgown, water dripping onto the cold stone floor of my tiny room. The abandoned west wing of the palace was freezing even in summer. No one had lived here for decades—except me. The forgotten princess. The one born without magic in a family of powerful sorcerers.
The disappointment.
The mistake.
Clara left, slamming the door so hard the walls shook. I changed quickly into my only other dress—a faded gray thing that used to belong to a servant. My "royal" clothes had been taken away years ago. According to Father, I didn't deserve them.
Before going downstairs to scrub floors, I stepped onto my small balcony. The morning sun was just rising, painting the sky pink and gold. Up here was my secret—the only thing in this awful place that made me happy.
My garden.
I'd started it two years ago with seeds I found in the trash. Everyone said nothing could grow in the west wing because of some old curse, but somehow, my plants thrived. Roses, herbs, even a small lemon tree. I didn't understand it. I had no magic. But when I touched the soil, things grew.
I ran my fingers over a rose bloom, feeling the soft petals. "Happy birthday to me," I whispered.
The rose seemed to glow brighter for just a second.
I blinked. That was impossible. I was imagining things.
A knock on my door made me jump. "Princess Seraphina?" a nervous voice called.
I opened the door to find Beth, one of the kitchen girls who was actually nice to me sometimes. She looked scared.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"The King just sent a message." Beth's hands were shaking. "You're to come to the throne room. Immediately. The whole court is gathering."
My stomach dropped. In twenty-three years, Father had never summoned me to the throne room. Never. I was an embarrassment he kept hidden away.
"Did he say why?" My voice came out smaller than I wanted.
Beth shook her head, her eyes full of pity. "But, Princess... they're all there. Your mother, your brother, your sister. All the nobles. Even the High Priestess came from the temple."
Something was very, very wrong.
"Thank you, Beth," I managed to say.
She squeezed my hand quickly before hurrying away.
I looked down at my servant's dress. I had nothing better to wear. My hair was still damp from the bucket of water. I probably looked like exactly what they thought I was—nothing.
But I wouldn't let them see me shake.
I walked through the long, empty corridors of the west wing. My footsteps echoed on the marble floors. As I got closer to the main palace, everything changed. Rich carpets covered the floors. Gold chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Servants rushed past me without looking at me. They never did.
The throne room doors stood twelve feet tall, carved with magical symbols that glowed with blue light. Two guards stood on either side.
"Princess Seraphina," one said, not meeting my eyes. "They're waiting for you."
He pushed open the doors.
The throne room was packed with people. Every noble family in the kingdom stood along the sides. My father sat on his throne, his gold crown catching the light. My mother sat beside him, beautiful and cold as ice. My older brother Dorian stood to the right, his arms crossed and a mean smile on his face. My sister Celestine stood to the left, practically glowing with her perfect moon magic.
And in front of the throne, in her white priestess robes, stood High Priestess Morvana. Her eyes were completely black, like she'd seen things no one should see.
Every single person turned to look at me as I walked in.
The silence was so heavy I could barely breathe.
I stopped at the bottom of the steps leading to the thrones. I kept my chin up even though my knees wanted to buckle.
"You called for me, Father?"
King Aldric stood. His face was stone. "Seraphina. The kingdom faces its darkest hour."
My heart started beating faster.
"The Decay spreads from the borders," he continued. "A curse that turns everything to ash. Our people are dying. Our magic cannot stop it." He paused. "The High Priestess has consulted the ancient texts. There is only one solution."
High Priestess Morvana stepped forward. When she spoke, her voice sounded like wind through a graveyard. "A blood sacrifice must be made. A member of the royal family must offer their life to the Dark King Caelan of Noctwyth. Only then will he seal the curse."
No.
No, no, no.
I knew where this was going.
My mother stood, and somehow her voice was sad even though her eyes were empty. "It breaks my heart," she said, and I knew she was lying. "But we must think of the kingdom. We offer Princess Seraphina."
The court erupted in agreement.
"She has no magic," someone called out.
"No suitors, no prospects," said another.
"Let her death mean something for once," my brother Dorian added with a laugh.
I couldn't move. Couldn't think. They were going to kill me. Actually kill me.
And everyone was agreeing.
My father raised his hand for silence. "Seraphina. Do you accept your duty to your kingdom?"
I had two choices. Beg and cry and give them the satisfaction of breaking me. Or stand tall.
I thought of my little garden. The roses that grew when nothing else would. I thought of every insult, every beating, every night I went to bed hungry while they feasted.
If I was going to die, I would die with my dignity.
"I accept," I said clearly.
My mother's eye twitched. She'd wanted me to beg.
"The sacrifice will take place tonight," High Priestess Morvana announced. "At midnight, when the Veil between worlds is thinnest. May the gods have mercy on your soul, Princess."
The guards grabbed my arms before I could move.
As they dragged me toward the door, I looked back one last time. My family sat on their thrones, not one of them looking sad. Dorian was smiling. Celestine was examining her nails. My mother and father looked... relieved.
They'd been planning this.
They'd been planning to get rid of me all along.
The doors slammed shut, and the last thing I heard was my sister's voice: "Finally. Now we can pretend she never existed."
The guards pulled me down a different corridor—one that led to the dungeons.
"Wait," I said, trying to pull free. "Where are we taking me?"
"Can't have you running away, Princess," one guard sneered. "His Majesty's orders. You stay locked up until tonight."
They threw me into a cell and locked the door.
I was alone in the darkness.
In twelve hours, I would die.
I sank to the floor, and for the first time in years, I let myself cry.
But through the tears, something else grew. Something hot and fierce and angry.
If I somehow survived this—if by some miracle the Dark King didn't kill me—I would make them all pay.
Every. Single. One.
A strange tingling started in my hands, like lightning dancing under my skin.
And somewhere far away, in a kingdom made of shadows, a pair of silver eyes opened in the darkness.
Someone was coming.
Someone had felt me.